A Brighter Summer Day

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Mark C A sloooooooooooooooooooooow burn if there ever was one. 4 hours film! Yet, being based on true story elevated this film to "worth a watch", emphasis on "a". Some of the acting from the teenagers in this film border on distracting (I'm looking at you "Elvis".) Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 07/22/25 Full Review julie b Incredible camera work that commands patience and so so SO beautifully and meticulously shot - especially the use of light and darkness. Some of the most flawless scenes ever!!! At all times I’m endlessly interested in both what is in the frame or just beyond it; clearly nothing is seen or heard without Edward Yang wanting you to have consumed it. However, it was truly too long for me, and despite the 4hr run time, I didn’t really feel the depth of characters or emotions as much as I was anticipating. I think this is due to how expansive the story is, using its breadth to capture the era perfectly rather than building depth - which I don’t hold against it. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/23/24 Full Review Dave S Sure, the four-hour running time seems a bit excessive and there really isn't much in the way of a plot and what story there is may be hard to follow at times, but Edward Yang's A Brighter Summer Day, despite its possible shortcomings, is nothing short of astounding. It's basically a coming-of-age story set in Taiwan in the early 1960s that follows the troubled life of Si'r (Chang Chen), a disenfranchised teenager who finds himself drawn into gang activity. Beautifully written and encompassing numerous themes, it is also visually stunning as each shot is perfectly framed and each scene is meticulously blocked. Set some time aside, get comfortable, and enjoy a unique viewing experience. You won't be disappointed. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 11/10/23 Full Review Parker E A person who'll apologize for wrongs he didn't commit is capable of all sorts of terrible things. A Brighter Summer Day is a story of love, friendship, music, growing up, and family. It is a film that is slow and methodical as we peer into the lives of people in Taiwan. What would you do if your culture, government, home, and sense of purpose were uprooted and taken away? Would you grasp out looking for a connection, a family that accepts you? This is what millions of kids did when they fled to Taiwan in the 50s & 60s and is the main driving force in A Brighter Summer Day. This upheaval from China to Taiwan will bring cultures clashing, teenage rebellion, happiness, sadness, and new identities to the people of Taiwan. The lives we watch in A Brighter Summer Day are complicated, sometimes boring, and real. We watch a young boy named Xiao Si'r grasp moralities, truth, and doing the right thing. Ziao Si'r is constantly getting into trouble for being truthful or for not speaking up, not for doing the wrong thing. This troublemaking slowly cascades for Si'r as we watch him unravel and distance himself from everyone around him. These connections we form have a way of finding us in the most unexpected ways. A Brighter Summer Day expertly weaves these various connections and scenes throughout the film. A Brighter Summer Day is a film of near perfection. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/26/23 Full Review Leaburn O The title comes from a mistranslation of a line from Elvis' Are you lonely tonight. It's a story of 1960s teenage Taiwanese angst containing murder, gang warfare and much else. The runtime of 4 hours just felt like an arduous drag to me and I had no idea who half the characters were even by the end of the film. I understand it is well shot and not too dull for such a long film but I just didn't care much for anything that was going on. Not for me. I caught this one on an incredibly high quality YouTube channel. Well worth watching on there if looking to watch this film as DVD copies are pricey and hard to find good streaming options. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 08/09/23 Full Review Steve C If you don't mind the length... it's good, for a film that doesn't have a plot... Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 04/21/23 Full Review Read all reviews

A Brighter Summer Day

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